South Korea’s Political and Economic Miracles and Christian Influence

Since the 1960s, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore and Hong Kong have all imitated Japan's policy of expanding exports, and their economies have grown rapidly. Before 1960, the per capita national income of these four places was comparable to that of Africa and South Asia, which were the poorest countries at the time. However, between 1989 and 1995, the per capita national income exceeded US$10,000 and was classified as an advanced high-income country by the World Bank and the United Nations.

1993年世界銀行還出版《東亞奇蹟》一書，肯定南韓、臺灣、新加坡和香港的經濟不但快速發展，人均所得不斷提高，而且重視所得分配，力求貧富差距縮小，正邁向「大同世界」的境界，其經濟發展模式亦成為其他發展中國家學習的榜樣。¹

Except for Hong Kong, which is a free trade zone and the government rarely intervenes in the economy, Japan and the other three countries (South Korea, Taiwan, and New Zealand) have strongly dominated and guided domestic industries in the process of economic development, making their countries move in the direction that the government deems most beneficial. . The development of high-tech industries in South Korea and Taiwan is the result of government promotion, which has created the leading position of South Korea and Taiwan in high-tech industries today.

In response to the focus of this issue, this article intends to first analyze the trends and challenges faced by South Korea's rapid economic and trade development, and point out the correlation between South Korea's rapid emergence from the political and economic crisis and the rapid growth of the church, and then analyze the country's Christians' views on South Korea. Regarding the possible impact of future political and economic developments, I hope to encourage each other with churches and Christian leaders from all walks of life. In addition, among the Four Asian Tigers, Hong Kong and Singapore are small island economies, while South Korea and Taiwan are the most similar. Therefore, this article also appropriately compares the economic development of South Korea and Taiwan.

The gap between the two countries on the Korean Peninsula

The Korean Peninsula was divided into two countries after World War II: the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) and the Republic of Korea (South Korea). North Korea occupies 121,000 square kilometers and South Korea 98,500 square kilometers. Even though countries such as China, Vietnam, and the former Soviet Union have changed course and carried out capitalist-style economic reforms, which have greatly improved the economies and people's living standards in various countries, North Korea and a few countries (such as Cuba and Myanmar) still resolutely implement socialism. , leaving North Korea’s 23.5 million people still trapped in extreme poverty, with the per capita national income in 2007 being only US$1,900.

南韓土地面積不如北韓，人口卻比北韓多一倍以上（4920萬）。由於全體國民的努力，戰後至今（特別是1960年代之後），經濟快速成長，國民所得與生活水準因而大幅提高，與臺灣、香港、新加坡被稱為「東亞四小龍」，從貧窮落後的國家（1960年人均國民所得不到100美元）到了1995年竟成為世界高所得國家。

Politically, South Korea has also made significant progress: from 1952 to 1988, the South Korean government was ruled by the military; in 1988, a democratic movement took place to amend the constitution; in 1992, democratically elected presidents began, making South Korea a multi-party democracy.

Economic situation in South Korea and Taiwan

South Korea's land area is 2.7 times that of Taiwan, and its population is 2.2 times that of Taiwan (according to 2008 data, 49.23 million versus 22.98 million). Both have dense populations and land for manufacturing. In terms of economic development, from the early days of development, most of the Korean business world was monopolized by large companies, while Taiwan was dominated by small and medium-sized enterprises (many family consortiums have also emerged in recent years). Therefore, before 2000, Taiwan's economic development and political stability were roughly the same. has always been ahead of South Korea.

2000年臺灣政權輪替之後，新政府經驗不夠，又對中國採取鎖國政策，經濟管理不善，加上政黨惡鬥，經濟發展很多方面的表現開始落後南韓。²

In 1982, South Korea became the world's 15th largest exporter (Taiwan ranked 14th). In the mid-1990s, South Korea officially joined the club of advanced countries, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Although the Asian financial crisis in 1997 put South Korea's economy into trouble, fortunately, it dealt with it appropriately and quickly recovered, its economy climbed, and it became an industrialized country dominated by high-tech production.

以下是最近兩年南韓的國民所得數據：³

*Per capita gross national income: In 2006, it was US$17,690, ranking 51st among the 210 countries in the world (Taiwan ranked 52nd with US$16,036); in 2007, it was estimated to be US$19,220, and by 2008 it would be nearly $20,000.

*Gross national income (or gross national product): In 2006, it was US$856.5 billion, ranking 12th in the world, even lower than India and Brazil (China ranked 4th, and Taiwan ranked 21st with US$393.8 billion).

1997年發生亞洲金融風暴，南韓首當其衝，外匯存底大量流失，韓幣急速貶值，不得已向國際貨幣基金求援。1998年經濟成長率因此下跌7%，史無前例。人均所得從1997年的12190美元下降至1998∼1999年的9200美元。但韓國經濟從2000年開始又迅速回升，其人均所得在2005年已經與臺灣相去無多，且在2006年開始領先臺灣（參見圖1、圖2之比較）⁴.

Amazing export growth rate

Over the years, the growth rates and numerical performance of South Korea and Taiwan's export trade have been very impressive (see the comparison between Figures 3 and 4). However, South Korea has surpassed Taiwan since 1994 because its growth rate has been higher than that of Taiwan over the years. This is related to the fact that at that time, the mainland was reforming and opening up, and various countries were vying to invest and set up factories in the mainland, but Taiwan gradually adopted a lock-down policy (the government called on Taiwanese businessmen not to go to the mainland), and the cross-strait situation gradually cooled down.

2006年韓國出口值高達3320億美元，成為全世界第11大出口國（德、美、中、日分居第1至第4名；香港、臺灣則分別為12、16名）。造成韓國出口大幅增加的主要因素是中國市場的崛起及大量韓商到中國投資。1998至2006期間，韓國對中國的出口及雙邊貿易都分別增長6倍，中國超越美國成為韓國出口最多的國家，主要出口項目是中間產品，如半導體、電腦零件、半製品及製成品。

In the past four years, South Korea's export growth rate has exceeded 10% each year. Since 1990, South Korea's manufacturing industry has gradually shifted from "low value-added" industries such as textiles to "high value-added" industries such as automobiles, shipbuilding and electronic products. South Korea currently has the top three shipbuilding companies in the world, ranks third in the world in steel production, and ranks sixth in the automobile industry. In addition, South Korea is a world leader in the electronics industry such as memories, mobile phones, and liquid crystal screens (LCDs).

高附加價值的產品出口佔總出口的50％。南韓在高科技產品出口佔製造業出口的比例，從1990年不到15％到1999年後逐年超過30％，可看出南韓在高科技產品方面的努力。南韓造船業表現一枝獨秀，2000年超越日本成為全世界造船業產量最高的國家，船隻出口佔總出口的7％，2004年以來每年造船出口成長率為25％。目前造船新訂單佔全球40％，中國與日本則各分得25%。

Challenges and Adaptations

不過快速進步及增長也帶來不利因素，例如韓圜實質匯率在2004年底迄今已升值20％，通貨膨脹率相對高居不下，加上中國經貿的崛起，使韓國產業的全球競爭力下滑，面臨中國、日本及其他貿易伙伴的競爭（衝擊最大的是電子與汽車業），以及韓圜升值速度比日圓快，壓低韓國廠商的利潤等問題。⁵

In the face of competition, South Korea, like Taiwan, must respond to economic policies, such as strengthening research and development, improving product quality and added value, changing industrial structure, etc. Looking back on the many challenges South Korea faced in the past, especially the 1997 financial crisis, it was able to turn crises into opportunities. I believe South Korea's economy can still move forward to join the ranks of advanced European and American countries.

South Korea's economy has been able to turn the corner, restart and grow rapidly, and its political system has also changed from military rule to a pluralistic democratic system. The reason behind this may be related to the rapid increase in the number of Christians in the country. When we look back at the modern industrial revolution, we can see that the advanced countries, with the exception of Japan, are all Christian countries (Japan’s Meiji Restoration also learned from British laws and regulations). Below we analyze the possible influence of Christians on Korean politics and economy.

The church is growing rapidly

南韓是教會增長最快速的國家之一，其基督徒比例在亞洲名列第一。根據南韓政府的普查資料顯示，基督徒人口佔總人口比例：1985年為20.7%；1995年上升到26.3%（共1120萬，其中更正教19.7%，天主教6.6%；另外佛教徒23.2%, 沒有信仰的49.3%）。2005年基督徒比例為29.2％，其中天主教10.9%，更正教18.3%（見表1）。

However, according to statistics from the book "Operation World", the proportion of Christians in South Korea in 2000 was approximately 31.7% of the total population, approximately 14.8 million people. Table 2 is the book’s statistics on religious beliefs in South Korea in 2000. It may be a more reliable and detailed statistics.

過去對南韓基督徒人數的估計因為沒有考慮雙重會籍的問題（以更正教與獨立教派之間的情況最多），因此可能高估。⁶值得華人教會效法的是，韓國差派出非常多宣教士到海外宣教，2000年估計就有一萬兩千人分佈在一百五十六個國家（資料來源如表2）。

又據另一份資料，2005年韓國已有一千九百萬基督徒（佔總人口39.3%），會員超過一萬人的大教會有十五間。⁷這數字和上述2000年的宣教士資料較為相關。不論採用哪種數據，我們都可以說，目前南韓基督徒佔總人口比例30％以上，約在一千五百萬至兩千萬之間。

Faith brings strength

基督徒人口的增加對政治及社會風氣顯然有正面影響，特別是韓國信徒對牧師長老的服從性頗高，且勤於禱告。2007年12月總統選舉，新任總統李明博獲勝，有人說是因為佔全國人口30%的基督徒支持，因為他是南韓最大教會之一「所望長老教會」（Somang Presbyterian Church）的長老。國會議員中基督徒也佔多數，可以影響各種政策。

除了政治與社會影響力外，韓國基督徒也在公司企業佔重要地位，據調查，韓國十大企業的老板都是基督徒。調查中也發現，一半的基督徒認為應該關心政治與社會問題，三分之二的基督徒認為政治領袖應該有堅定的信仰。⁸

Eliminate corruption

但也有人質疑基督徒雖多，影響力卻不如所宣稱的那麼大，因為韓國貪污盛行。在南韓1980年代開始民主化過程中，歷任民選總統好幾位本身或子女都因貪污罪被判刑。盧泰愚為第一位直選總統（任期1988∼1993）；繼任者金泳三（1993∼1998）以肅貪為號召之下，在1996年8月，法院將盧判賄賂罪入獄服刑，而前任總統全斗煥（1980∼1988）也同時因1979至1980年間發動政變及血腥鎮壓示威暴動而被判刑。

但金泳三在經濟上卻放縱財閥任意擴張，企業行賄官員的貪污風氣及銀行濫貸盛行，導致1997年金融風暴；在他執政最後幾週，被迫向國際貨幣基金會等機構請求紓困580億美元，其子也因貪汙罪被捕入獄。繼任者金大中（1998∼2003），是南韓第一次由異議分子當選總統；曾因推動與北韓和解政策獲諾貝爾和平獎，但執政最後一年卻因企業醜聞飽受輿論撻伐，兩個兒子也以賄賂和逃稅罪被判刑。

Roh Moo-hyun (2003~2008) had inappropriate economic policies, which caused the Korean economy to lag behind during his administration. However, public opinion believes that he made a contribution to getting rid of money politics and establishing a transparent system. Although the new President Lee Myung-bak is a Christian, he has also been questioned about his moral integrity (investment misconduct). Although the court later cleared him, Koreans still have doubts about him.

Korea in transformation

"Transparency International" began conducting the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) survey in 1995. The countries surveyed ranged from 41 countries in 1995 to 179 countries in 2007, covering almost all countries in the world. Table 3 lists the CPI rankings of several relevant countries, including Singapore, Hong Kong, the United States, Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea in order.

Among the above-mentioned countries, South Korea has the most severe corruption. In 1995, South Korea's CPI index ranked 27th among 41 countries, falling behind half of the countries. After 1998, the ranking has been between 43 and 50. In the most recent survey in 2007, South Korea ranked 43 among 179 countries, still lagging behind Taiwan and even further behind Singapore, the leading corruption-free country. However, since 2005, corruption in South Korea seems to have begun to improve significantly (see score column), which may be related to President Roh Moo-hyun's new policies and the influence of Christians.

國際透明組織另外一個賄買指數（Bribe Payers Index, BPI）指出口國家的企業向海外，特別是發展中國家的官員賄賂以獲取出口利益的程度。2002年賄買指數調查21個出口國家，排行最後的倒數四個國家依序是俄羅斯（21，最差）、中國、臺灣和韓國，表示這些國家的企業行賄國外以獲得出口利益的情況最為嚴重。

The 2006 Bribery Index surveyed 30 exporting countries. The countries with the worst bribery image were India (30, the worst), China, Russia, Turkey and Taiwan (26), but South Korea has improved to 21st. There is still a long way to go compared to the clean countries Japan (11) and Singapore (12), but it has got rid of the image of the worst countries.

Let us humbly review

The improvement in the rankings of the corruption index and bribery index may be related to the continued increase in the Christian population, but it is also related to the country becoming a pluralistic democratic country (for example, Japan and Taiwan are non-Christian countries, but they are ranked before South Korea; the United States is a Christian country, but the ranking is not after Hong Kong). However, the author believes that the supervision mechanism of democratic politics coupled with the rapidly increasing Christian population can make a country progress faster in all aspects. South Korea's corruption index currently lags behind Taiwan's, but given time, it is believed that it will improve significantly due to the positive influence of Christians.

Seeing the rapid increase in the Christian population in South Korea and the renaissance of sending missionaries overseas on a large scale, the Christian population in Taiwan has always been hovering around 3%. In addition to humbly reviewing and sincerely learning from the Koreans, the Chinese church must also serve Taiwan (and mainland China) pray from many sources. Because from the political and economic development of South Korea, we see the unchanging theorem:

“Blessed is this people who have the Lord as their God!” (See Psalm 144:15)

Notes
Figure 1-5 Source: Taiwan: Taiwan Government Statistics; South Korea: World Bank website.
1.World Bank (1993): The East Asian Miracle: Economic Growth and Public Policy (World Bank Policy Research Reports), Oxford University Press, 1993.
2.韓國今日的經濟成果，很大程度上與政府早期積極栽培「財閥」有關。少數財閥長久以來壟斷國家經濟。1995年全國最大的四個財閥分別為：現代集團、三星集團、大宇集團及樂喜金星集團。但1997年發生亞洲金融風暴之後，一方面由於政府主導的改革，使財閥失去原有的依靠；另一方面，舊有的財閥領導人去世，家族的不和使財閥家族內部分裂，導致財閥集團勢力日漸削弱。在2003年，原來的18個財閥，只餘下4個，但他們到現在仍在主導韓國的經濟發展（見網路維基百科資料，「韓國經濟─財閥」欄zh.wikipedia.org）。不過很有意思的是臺灣經濟發展後期，出現幾個類似韓國財閥的家族企業，規模日大，也逐漸主導臺灣的經濟發展。
3. Source of statistical data for this article─South Korea: Based on the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), and South Korean government websites. Taiwan: Government-related websites, US CIA, International Monetary Fund website.
4.本文所用的名詞：國民總所得（GNI-Gross National Income）指一國人民一年內所有國內外之總收入，或總產值（GNP-Gross National Product）。國內總生產（GDP-Gross Domestic Product）指國內生產，不包括國外要素淨所得。GNI（或GNP）與GDP通常差距不大。為國際比較方便，通常將GNI或GDP換算成美元，一般用官方匯率換算。但考慮物價變動因素，以美國物價為基準換算各國的購買力，即成為以購買力平價（PPP-Purchasing Power Parity）計算的GNI或GDP。由於PPP基礎不同，因此國際間以PPP計算出來的數值會有差異。由於南韓通貨膨脹比臺灣高，因此即使以官方匯率所計算出來的人均GNI或GDP已經超過臺灣，但以PPP計算出來的人均所得，臺灣仍然比南韓高。例如2007年，國際貨幣基金所估計以購買力平價為基礎的人均GDP，臺灣為30126美元，在全世界排行28，而南韓為24783美元，排行35。以官方匯率計算之人均GDP，臺灣為16790美元，南韓為19751美元（資料來源不同，數字會有出入）。
5. The appreciation of the domestic currency is detrimental to exporters because the value of exchanging foreign currency back into the domestic currency decreases.
6. This statistics seems to be similar to that of 1985, but the statistics of 2000 exclude the population with dual membership (17.7%), and the data of 1985 does not take into account the issue of dual membership. It may be an overestimation, so it is not included. in this article.
7.Michelle Vu, S. Korea Presidential Election Highlights Christian Influence, Christian Post, 12/13/2007. http://www.christianpost.com/article/20071213/30491_S._Korea_Presidential_Election _Highlights_Christian_Influence.htm
8.同上註。

Author profile

Wen Yingqian is currently a professor in the Department of Economics at National Dong Hwa University in Hualien, Taiwan; a retired senior economic expert from the World Bank.